The hunger strike launched by a group of Development Officers demanding their absorption into the teacher service entered its fourth day yesterday (29) outside the Presidential Secretariat Colombo.The protesters, members of the Ceylon School Development Officers’ Union (CSDOU), began their satyagraha on January 26. One of the four officers participating in the fast-unto-death fell seriously ill on the fourth day and was rushed to hospital for treatment, while the remaining three continued the hunger strike. National People’s Power (NPP) MP Chandana Sooriyarachchi said graduate development officers are required to sit a compulsory competitive examination. He added that school development officers were absorbed into the teacher service in 2018 through competitive exams and stressed that appointments must follow established procedures, warning that strikes would not alter this process. The hunger strike continues to draw attention to the demands of the Development Officers as they urge the government to take immediate steps to address their grievances.